COMFORT – A Way For Breaking Bad News To A Patient

I came across this framework that I like.  It seems to take into account the health literacy and emotional challenges of a patient when receiving and assimilating bad news. 

COMFORT stands for:

• Communication
• Orientation
• Mindfulness
• Family
• Ongoing
• Reiterative
• Team

Communications – use clear and familiar language.

Orientation – set reasonable expectations.

Mindfulness – focus on the patient without being distracted.

Family – include the family in the information and the ongoing support.

Ongoing – stress the ongoing activities so there is no sense of abandonment.

Reiterative – continue to reinforce the message to help them come to terms.

Team – coordinate care so that there is not conflicting or confusing information.